Box Score (PDF)
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's basketball team (9-5, 1-0) locked in on defense to open A-10 play with a 62-58 win over Richmond Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.
In the decisive second half, Mason held the Spiders to just 35.5 percent (11-31) overall and 23.1 percent from 3pt range while continuing to assert its will offensively inside the paint.
Junior guard
Ronald Polite III led that paint charge for the Green & Gold while tallying a career-best 22 points (6-9 FG) and dishing out two assists.
With the victory, the Patriots improved to 8-0 at home this season.
"I'm really proud of our guys' grit and fight," head coach
Kim English said. "I know how potent their offense can be and we wanted to come into those game with intentionality to make it a defensive game. It didn't start that way, but the second half absolutely was."
In addition to Polite's pristine performance, senior
Josh Oduro notched his league-leading fifth double-double, registering 10 points (5-9 FG) and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes due to foul trouble.
The Patriots held a sizable 38-20 edge in points in the paint for the game to overcome an uncharacteristic 3-of-16 (.188) performance from 3pt range.
The Spiders led 13-7 at the 11:25 mark of the first half and held a 22-18 edge at 7:37. Mason used a 6-0 run, capped by a
Ginika Ojiako lay-in, to go up 24-22. The teams entered the break knotted at 32-32.
With the score tied at 39-39, Polite III scored five-straight points to put Mason ahead 44-39. Then, a
Saquan Singleton 3-point play increased the edge to seven (50-43) with 10:18 remaining.
Back-to-back triples from Richmond's Matt Grace pushed the Spiders back in front, 54-53, but consecutive buckets from Polite III and Oduro gave Mason a 57-54 edge with 2:09 left.
A fast-break lay-in from
Victor Bailey Jr. extended the lead to five (59-54) with less than a minute to play, and the Patriots dug in over that final minute to pick up the stops needed to claim victory.
George Mason now hits the road for its first A-10 road contest. The Patriots will head to Olean, N.Y. for a matchup with St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, January 4. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+.
